First, I am a LeBron James fan.
Second, I don't think he is the best player in the NBA right now.
Thanks to social media, he is one of the most exposed athletes of all time and inexplicably this somehow equates to greatness.
Jordan played hard defense and was consistently one of the best defenders in the league often defending the best player of opposing team. LBJ not so much. Jordan has higher points per game average and more rings. Jordan gave maximum effort every game, LBJ gives the minimum required of him. End of discussion.
The problem with Jordan is he retired early then finally came back and was bad when old.
Essentially LeBron has a few more years to try to cement a legacy.
You crazy? Best athlete to ever play b-ball? Yeah. This guy sucks and is the most overrated dude ever. He is just a massive human being playing guard.
Put Kareem at LeBriqs age on the Lakers this year and they’re a 4-5 seed.
LeBron’s VORP is inflated by overweighting of games played against weaker eastern conference teams for most of his career. If you normalized VORP to reflect all games having been played against a league average team then LeBron’s adjusted VORP would drop significantly and be more representative of his value as a player.
@pisstola
Nope. Wrong. Here are my rebuttals.
Retarded Statement #1. Are you really trying to tell me that players today aren't better than 40+ years ago. That basketball is unique in that players in that sport haven't improved athletically through the generations. Those guys dominated against their comtemporaries, but no way they would be the best of the best today.
Retarded Statement #2. And I am better than both of them. I just decided to not play. Using your argument, Len Bias was the best.
Retarded Statement #3. No need to rebut. LeBron is the GOAT. It's a fact.
Wilt, Oscar Roberston, Bill Russell, a few of those guys could play in any era.
LeBron is overrated and his rings are due to D Wade and Ray Allen miracle shot, Kyrie, and bonehead Draymond being Draymond. Otherwise he'd be 0-8. Put Kobe on this years Lakers he would will them to a 7-8 seed. He has a lot of holes in his game. It's ok buttercup, you can idolize him.
BTW @pistola, yes they could play, but wouldn't be all stars.
Also, I seem to recall the Bulls making the playoffs when MJ was on double secret probation for gambling issues (er, playing baseball while mourning his Dad) so how important was he. Look how the Cavs (both times) and Heat collapsed when the real GOAT left. Oh, and MJ didn't take the Wizards to the playoffs.
MJ was old as hell when he played for the Wizards. Lebron should've made the playoffs this year if he was the GOAT, but maybe he was too focused on being all Hollywood. Also, nobody wants to really play with Lebron. He is a disaster, the only team that kept him in check was the Heat bc of Riley. They should just make him player/coach. Btw when he was lucky enough to win it's because he shut up and let the coaches coach. If he was really a basketball savant he'd stop playing 40 feet from the rim and take that 270 lb A-Frame on the box and start the offense from there where he would always be doubled.
And Wilt and Oscar would be all stars. Not sure about Bill Russell.
The most impressive thing about Lebron was taking that first Cavs team to the playoffs, but hell Dwight Howard took Orlando one year I believe...
You use age as an excuse for MJ's later years. Look at the wear and tear on LeBron's body...
LeBron has played the same number of seasons in a shorter time. Played 71 more regular season games with a higher Min/game. He has played 60 more playoff games. If you are going to discount for age you have to for the GOAT too.
The GOAT has a higher FG%, 3pt FG%, RPG, APG than MJ.
MJ has a better FT%, steals/game, and PPG because he wasn't a team player.
MJ was a great scorer, but LeBron has more career points.
Head to head against Kobe... of those stats Kobe only leads in career regular season games played, and FT%. The GOAT leads in ALL the rest.
No contest. Quit while you are behind.
FACT is. Lebron played all of his years in a inferior conference. That was not the case during MJ's years. Now that Lebron is in the West, he is being exposed. He can't carry his team to beat the best. Yes, he did win 3 championships. But his teams were fresher when they got to the finals because of the last of completion he faced in the playoffs.
Now stop arguing and go back to soccer. You Howler !
Every Lebron apologist goes straight to stats. MJ would score 40-45 a night with this millenial pussy no hand-checking or hard foul bullshit. I'm going off eye test. And I'm not so sure MJ was the GOAT, I just know it ain't Lebron. Steph has as many rings a Lebron ya?
Rings are a team achievement, not individual. Replace MJ with LeBron and they would have won at least 8 straight because LeBron wouldn't have quit for 2 years.
^^ No, they would have won zero. Because Lebron would have demanded that the Bulls trade Scottie Pippen and fire the coach. And he would have cried each time that Rick Mahorn would have hit him.
Lebron is the GOAT because he is the current GOAT. Every generation in every sport gets it's own GOAT. Johnny Unitas gave way to Staubach gave way to Montana gave way to Brady. The new GOAT will always arguably be the best because the games change over time and the last GOAT got old. Twenty years from now this thread will still be going, but it will be Zion is the GOAT and Lebron was just really really good.
43 comments